Pollinators participate in the sexual-reproduction of plants. When you eat an almond, beet, watermelon or sip on coffee, you’re partaking of an ancient relationship between pollinators and flowers. But since the 1990s, worldwide bee health has been in decline and most evidence points to toxic pesticides created by Shell and Bayer and the loss of genetic biodiversity due to the proliferation of GMO monocrops created in laboratories by biotech companies like Monsanto.

But never worry, those real life pollinators—the birds and the bees, as they say—may soon be irrelevant to the food needs of civilization. Harvard roboticists are developing a solution to the crisis: swarms of tiny robot bees made of titanium and plastic that can pollinate those vast dystopian fields of GMO cash crops.

The Harvard Microrobotics Lab has been working on its Micro Air Vehicles Project since early 2009. Borrowing from the biomechanics and social organization of bees, the team of researchers is undergoing the creation of tiny winged robots to fly from flower to flower, immune to the toxins dripping from petals, to spread pollen. They even believe that they will soon be able to program the robobees to live in an artificial hive, coordinate algorithms and communicate amongst themselves about methods of pollination and location of particular crops.

Of course, published reports from the lab also describe potential military uses—surveillance and mapping—but the dime-sized cyber-bees have yet to be outfitted with neurotoxin tipped stingers.

Us human beings have long occupied artificial environments. The reason we both don’t seem to notice this, but do seem to notice something different about “natural things”, is that as a species we are alienated from ourselves.

Can’t say I’m too thrilled scientists. If you could just find a way to stop global warming, or just start with no weight gain eating chocolate guarantee all the ladies will love you – breaking stereotype and doing us all a favor – two birds with one stone.

We are in the age of eating food, that’s being genetically modified that ends up changing our own DNA structure. This in and of itself is a horrible thing we could be doing to the human race. Who knows what that will change in our next generations born from eating these foods. More lengthy long term research is needed.

The second thing wrong is this implication that instead of getting to the root problem of what is CAUSING the disappearance of bees and other animals making up our ecosystems, we are putting another band-aid on it. This will not solve the real problems… only accentuate them.

Frank, GMOs cannot change our DNA… GMOs themselves have certain special genes, but the rest of their genome is the same as non-GMO plants of the same species. Changing of DNA typically requires formation of adducts, interactions of DNA with reactive oxygen species, backbone breaking interactions, or intercalation. GMO DNA never even touches our own DNA, so it cannot perform any such interaction. Even the few proteins that have different forms than normal in GMOs are never going to get into the nucleus, as they simply do not have the nuclear import signal sequence.

Also, there is research going on already to find out the cause of (and thereafter the solution to) colony collapse disorder. The Harvard research team is just covering the Plan B case of the bees dying out before we can figure out how to fix colony collapse disorder. As Hollis notes, robotic bee research is still in it’s infancy, and practical systems will not likely be available for another decade. To use your analogy, they are designing a big complex band-aid for the wound while others are trying to figure out how to coagulate the blood, suture the artery back together, and close up the wound, perhaps along with a transfusion. Don’t ignore the brilliant apiarists working to find the surgeon’s solution!

I’m a bee researcher, and I can tell you for sure that the folks trying to create these robotic bees are a LONG way from actually being able to pull this off. These kinds of projects might sound cool to the public (and to funding agencies) but they usually fizzle out after a few years without producing any tangible results or making any major contributions to society. Further, in my opinion it’s pretty stupid to poor money into projects like this while the actual bees, which we know are capable of effective pollination, are in serious trouble, but we don’t fully understand why and we’re not taking the necessary steps to try to stop their decline.

Lets hope you are right. Unfortunately, within the last few years, projects that usually seemed to fall short of their futurist promises have begun to come true. While these “bees” probably won’t be buzzing in the extremely near future, they or some next generation version will probably hit the skies in the next 10 years.

Hollis, How can you say we don’t fully understand why? The why is the obnoxious amounts of pesticides being sprayed on all the GMO foods grown on HUGE industrialized farms. Its simple logic. Before farming became such a regulated industry, with the Get Big or Get Out mentality; colony collapse wasn’t an issue. My family farmed until I reached my teenage years in the 80’s, we grew organic food, no pesticides; our animals were not pumped full of hormones, steroids or antibiotics either. If we could return to this kind of farming across America, there wouldn’t be a colony collapse issue and that you could bank on. It is pesticides that kill the bees, plain and simple; why spend billions trying to prove its not pesticides? Cause maybe you work for one of those businesses that need bee researchers to say it’s not pesticides.

It is about time successive governments stopped sucking up to the bio-giants and started thinking for themselves about what sort of planet we need. In my opinion it is not one with robot bees, created to prop up useless GMO policies devised by greedy people who want to control the world’s food supply and make themselves more money than anyone can ethically justify.

It’s so insane – creating another problem to fix a problem (I don’t mean the robot bees) – I mean going against nature rather than working within natural laws. Common sense seems to be very rare amongst profit-seeking corporations.

Excellent! You have discovered the “Culture of Death” that the modern societies embrace- to kill, and destroy everything possible- for their own profit, or power!
We must all strive to stop this “Culture of Death” and embrace the “Culture of Life” instead!

Agree about the articulate (choke choke) ‘Jimmy’. Although I’m not a huge fan of bees I understand the need for what they do. Wonder how this will affect the need for ‘local honey’ for those who use it to combat allergies in a natural way.

As a professor of biology and a collaborator on this project I have paid very close attention to the rising ethical questions regarding robotics, from military drones to robot biodiversity. I think you all are afraid of these robot bees because you are afraid of the reality of the future of life which will be more mechanical than purely biological. At least if we create robotic bees there will be some physical memory of the creatures once they are all gone, which is inevitable. Bees are not going to survive but they will be honored by these robobees.

Like honey bees and heirloom plants, you all who are reading this are, effectively, an evolutionary dead end. You’ve served your purpose but it will soon be time to move on.

I believe your time is long past due. The end of nature will be the end of a life worth living. I see your robobees as a mercenary that is meant for the highest bidder. That bidder won’t be the masses. We will be left to suffer till the price can be paid. Your ethics need improving, perhaps reading the Bible or Qur’an or even Marx and Gueverra.
The machine does not evolve without the evolved and is therefore the actual dead end. Harvard should rethink where they put their money.

It’s to the point where we HAVE to do something, we have fucked up too much for shit to fix itself. I hate Monsanto but pollenating machines are probably going to be necessary soon with the rate real bees are dying.

The Earth will always find a way to fix itself given a chance. We need to stop corporations like Monsanto, Bayer and Syngenta denying it any chances. Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see” so I guess it is in our hands.

Why a pollinating machine would have to fly I don’t know – wouldn’t a ground-based model be a little easier? Lots of long skinny arms. Besides, I just don’t want to run in to a robot horse fly one day…

Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason appeared
to be at the net the simplest thing to have in mind of.
I say to you, I definitely get annoyed even as other folks think about issues that they plainly
don’t recognize about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and outlined out the entire thing without having side effect , folks could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thank you

I am extremely impressed along with your writing abilities and also with the structure to
your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself?
Either way keep up the nice high quality
writing, it is uncommon to peer a great weblog like this one today.
.

The clarity in your post is simply nice and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the enjoyable work.

Hello there, I discovered your website by the use of Google whilst searching for a comparable subject, your website came up, it appears
to be like great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there, just became aware of your blog via Google, and found that it is really informative. I’m going to watch out for
brussels. I’ll appreciate in case you continue this in future. Lots of other people will be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!

This is really awful. Keep in mind that the bees are needed for our survival. i can’t imagine that an artificial bee can do the work that God intended. Figure out the problem of the real thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[…] they lose market share when people can raise crops that don’t require their toxic products or robotic bees (which will likely be included in NSA’s unconstitutional domestic surveillance program since […]

[…] they lose market share when people can raise crops that don’t require their toxic products or robotic bees (which will likely be included in NSA’s unconstitutional domestic surveillance program since the […]

[…] they lose market share when people can raise crops that don’t require their toxic products or robotic bees (which will likely be included in NSA’s unconstitutional domestic surveillance program since the […]

[…] they lose market share when people can raise crops that don’t require their toxic products or robotic bees (which will likely be included in NSA’s unconstitutional domestic surveillance program since […]